


An Abrupt Ally

by BlackPencilKitten



Series: Loqi Week 2018 [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Assassin's Festival DLC, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 08:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16014425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackPencilKitten/pseuds/BlackPencilKitten
Summary: Ordered to leave the city after his embarrassing defeat, Loqi instead disguised himself and took part in the festivities of the Assassin's Festival. However, a treasure hunt goes awry when he runs into the exact person that defeated him, and in the chaos of his escape a soldier becomes a temporary ally in saving his ass.





	An Abrupt Ally

**Author's Note:**

> Day 7's Prompts: Festival and/or Unexpected Rescuer.

A figure in a hooded version of the Medjay Assassin’s Robes and a white facemask exited the Whack-a-Cactuar arena with a pocket full of Assassin Medallions. Though they had played multiple times, they failed to beat the high score set by someone they’d rather not think about. On the bright side, they had enough medallions to buy a few trinkets from the festival, and as they headed towards the nearest vendor, they pocketed even more medals they found on the ground. For once, they were glad that people were rather careless with their belongings. More for them!

At the vendor, they purchased an assassin’s mascot decal, nodding along to the vendor’s comments about their assumed car, which they did not have. This would, however, look great on the inside of their mech. They took their chance with the themed luck drawing, and luck was on their side as they won an entire assassin’s festival themed paintjob. Their mech was going to look _sick_.

As they internally celebrated their acquisition of new mech decals, they noticed it had gotten unusually quiet for a festival. Looking around, they spotted a crowd of people crowded around a billboard, and as they neared they caught snippets of conversations. Something about a ‘treasure hunt’ and ‘riddles’ and ‘absolute bullshit’. By the time they reached the board the crowd had dispersed, and they took the opportunity to read the board themself.

_“Greetings, Young Assassin._

_May this message find you well._

_It is with a heavy heart I inform you_

_The Templars are after my treasure._

_You must find it before they do._

_In order to lead them astray,_

_I have_ **_colored my hints with lies._ **

_Surely you can discern the truth._

_Now, let the_ **_star_ ** _guide you, Young Assassin._

_The fate of mankind rests with you.”_

_Lestall_

Riddles had never been their particularly strong suit, but by the astrals they would try to solve them. Another board nearby revealed _red_ as the color of lies, and one further away held their first clue. Two lines, one red and one black, each saying a hint lied within something: a cloud or a storm. Running with the latter, two more billboards entered their line of sight, and they headed towards the one marked with a lightning bolt.

An armored MT axeman stood some distance from the board, scanning the crowds for their assigned targets. Two men in costume--one hooded, one not--the former the prince of Lucis and the latter their blond friend. The soldier’s gaze stopped on a hooded figure, following them to the board only a few feet away. Unaccompanied by their friend, an easy kill.

Target acquired.

Loud, oddly familiar footsteps sounded to the figure’s left, and they turned from the board only to jump at the sight of a magitek axeman, axe at the ready. They backed up a few steps, waving their arms defensively.

“Wait wait wait wait wait--don’t attack, don’t attack! I’m not them, I’m not them, look!” They pulled down their mask and pulled off their hood, revealing dark blond hair--a different shade than the targeted prince’s friend’s hair. This man was Loqi Tummelt, brigadier general of Niflheim’s command--with the same costume as one of the soldier’s targets.

Fucking asshole, making their job harder.

The soldier stowed their axe away, stalking off to their original position. Loqi whispered a quick apology before fixing his disguise, eyeing the soldier cautiously before reading the next clues of the puzzle. There were different colors on the instructions, but there was the added note to ‘read between the lies’. Doing just that, they followed the street to their right past a shop, down two steps of stairs, and kept going straight, finding a note on a tower. It was a congratulations to solving the first riddle, and Loqi found himself beaming with pride.

_Watch your step in the marketplace._

The atmosphere shifted to an uneasy one, and though the clue most likely meant the next one was on the ground, Loqi found himself on edge as he moved between people to the marketplace. On a sewer cover was the next clue, even more ominous than the last, with blanks for a word and another clue under danger of being trampled. Thankfully, it simply meant that there were more sewer covers to find, each with a note containing a letter and a number. They spelt out ‘hotel’, and with that Loqi made his way to the Leville Hotel--

Only to be confronted by another magitek soldier guarding the doorway.

With daggers at his throat, it took an agonizing amount of time to take off his hood, not wanting to move too fast les the MT felt threatened. Upon his identity reveal, the MT let him go, and Loqi caught his breath before slipping past the door into the hotel. Past the counter was the next set of clues, with something about flowers and an absolutely made up word Nichafe.

After almost being murdered, he decided maybe this treasure hunt wasn’t worth it. His stomach growled with hunger, and he realized that he may have skipped lunch for the medallion grinding at the Whack-a-Cactuar.

The closest and only cafe was on the other side of Lestallum.

Luck had left his side as he ran into more MTs on his way to the cafe, resulting in more near-death experiences and more panicked identity reveals. He should’ve been satisfied getting his mech decals but _no_ , he just _had_ to see what all the fuss was about, leading to a rather dangerous treasure hunt he just _had_ to take even though he _sucks at riddles._

On his way into the cafe, he spotted a familiar note by the door, and after stuffing himself with skewers, Loqi had to stop himself from letting out a loud “YES” as he read the congratulations written on it.

As he read its mention of eagles and an arrow and as he spotted an eagle on a _giant tower_ , though, he had to refrain from groaning. By the astrals, he hoped no one was filming or taking pictures of a small idiot climbing the tower by hand. At least the assassin’s robes were a lot lighter than Niflheim’s standard armor, or this climb would’ve been nigh impossible. The eagle perched at the top of the tower flew away the moment he reached it, and he almost cursed before he spotted a collection of green cars rather suspiciously made into an arrow, pointing at the service station some distance away.

He wasn’t sure whether to call that brilliant or absolute bullshit.

His stomach lurched as he looked down from where he was, clutching the tower even harder before he spotted a cart of hay only a well-timed jump down.

As the saying goes: break a leg, or two, or every bone in one’s body for _ultimate luck_.

One leap of faith, a costume full of hay, and another identity reveal later, and Loqi made his way to the service station, searching around before he found the next clue. Making his way outside, he bumped into two other figures working on the same treasure hunt.

A hooded man with dark hair, and another man with chocobo-yellow hair.

The two hooded men locked eyes, and Loqi _bolted_.

Yells sounded behind him, followed by two sets of footsteps. Luck was starting to seem less like a principle and more like bullshit, seeing as it couldn’t decide whether to be good or not. To make matter worse, it was at that very moment that the festival’s crowds decided to increase, and it was getting harder and harder to dodge people instead of shoving them out of the way. Thankfully, the crowds slowed both him and his pursuers down, but what extra time he gained was dwindling as he was running out of places to go.

Through the chaos, Loqi found himself back at the start of the treasure hunt, in front of the sign with a lightning bolt. Unable to think, he chose a random direction and started to run again, only to bump into an armored MT axeman--the same one from before. He was already stuttering out apologies and pleas, prepared to pull off his hood and already having his mask down, but the MT had their gaze focused on the heads of the crowd. A hood and a head of bright yellow hair were making their way through, and the realization was instant.

The soldier shoved Loqi into the alley to their left, gesturing towards a nearby rectangular trash bin before they pulled out their axe and took a defensive stance. Loqi wrinkled his nose in disgust, but opened the lid and entered regardless, holding his breath for more reasons than one. Noises were muted through the walls of the bin, but he still registered footsteps, the first sets light, two simultaneous ‘OH SHIT’s, and then heavier footsteps getting fainter with each one.

Moment after moment passed in silence, before something heavy tapping against the bin broke it. Hesitantly, Loqi opened the lid, but once he saw the familiar helmeted face of the MT axeman, he breathed a sigh of relief--before coughing at the smell of garbage. Crawling out of the bin, he smiled at the MT, even if he knew they couldn’t return it. He pulled his mask back up, telling the MT one last thing before he left.

“Thank you, _so much_ , for that! Enjoy the festi--uh, enjoy guard duty! Better luck getting them next time!”

With that Loqi was gone, disappearing into the crowds as he headed back towards the service station to continue the treasure hunt. The MT watched him go before resuming their assigned position as a guard. They were wrong about Loqi earlier.

He’s a fucking asshole, an idiot, and an absolute coward for walking around _like their targets_ but without his sword.

However, he genuinely meant well, and as they kept a close eye and a closer ear out for the return of their targets, a few thoughts broke the madness of the MT’s mind. They were consumed as fast as they appeared by the ever-repeating commands programmed into them, but they existed for a second.

_Enjoy the festivities, general._

**_Just don’t get yourself killed, idiot._ **


End file.
